I had the opportunity to test drive the Motorola MPx200, a Windows Mobile Smartphone based on the Smartphone 2002 software. It's an attractive clamshell device with features similar to those of the Samsung i600. Rich Hall and Dale Coffing described and gave a brief review of the MPx200 in the December/January 2004 issue of Pocket PC magazine (http://www.PocketPCmag.com/Jan04/smartphones.asp). I'll describe the device briefly and focus on my impressions of it and the differences between it and the Samsung i600.
Similar to but sleeker than the i600
The basic design is similar to, but a little sleeker than, that of the i600. The device has two displays: a 176x220 pixel 65K-color transflective display (not a touchscreen) and a secondary monochrome display on the outside of the clamshell case that's used to display the time, date, and caller ID when the clamshell is closed. Like the i600, the MPx200 has a user-replaceable lithium-ion rechargeable battery. A replacement standard battery is available, but an extended-life battery has not been announced.
The left edge has a jog wheel that controls volume only—it can't be used for application navigation. The IrDA port and the on/off button are also located on the left edge. The headset/hands-free jack and SD card slot are located on the right edge. The USB/charger port is located on the bottom edge of the device. (Note that the device can draw power from a host PC via an optional USB connection cable, without the use of the AC power adapter.)
The main color display and the speaker are located on the top half of the inside of the clamshell. The keypad, application launch and function buttons, and navigation pad are located on the bottom half.
Two "soft keys" are located on the top of the lower half, to the left and right of the navigation pad. These are context-sensitive keys whose functions change depending on the active application. Below the soft keys are the Call and End Call buttons. Below them are the Home and Back keys. In the center of this cluster is the navigation pad with an action key at its center. The navigation pad lets you scroll around the screen and the action key selects an item or function.
Backlit keypad and color display
Below this cluster of buttons is the alphanumeric keypad. The keys are backlit, but still difficult to see in dim lighting conditions, especially when compared to the i600's keypad. I also found the color display to be less vivid than that of the i600 when using identical screen settings. Another problem I encountered with the Motorola device when inputting phone numbers is the lack of automatic hyphenation. For example, when I dial 800-555-5555 on the i600, the automatically inserted hyphens show me that I am dialing a 10-digit number. On the MPx200 screen that same input displays as "8005555555." This makes it a little more difficult to see if you've entered the correct number of digits, and a little easier to misdial.
Personalization options
The Motorola MPx200 (like the Samsung i600) can be customized to meet your business needs, work preferences, and personal tastes. For example, you can take advantage of telephone services that include call barring, call forwarding, call waiting, and caller ID. In addition, you can change ring tones and select different sounds for reminders and new-message notifications. Both devices support up to eight user profiles, which are customizable "sets" of settings that are appropriate for certain situations, such as being in a meeting or in a car.
Additional software
In addition to the standard Microsoft Smartphone software, the MPx200 includes a Utility Pack suite with the following applications:
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